Puppet Master
by beautemillesime
Summary: The gang thinks they have defeated Naraku, but Kagome has a feeling its not over yet. After meeting a strange Goddess she goes in search of her destiny and her true soul mate to defeat the evil that has taken over the Feudal Era and restore peace to the land. Can she put her own fears aside to release herself from the puppet strings that hold her back? Will she find her true love?
1. Destiny

Kagome sat next to the sacred tree looking up at the stars. She couldn't remember the last time she had just sat down and looked at the stars and just appreciated the beauty around her. She lay back against the trunk of the tree and closed her eyes. Inuyasha had said he had something important to tell her and had instructed her to wait for him at the sacred tree. She wondered if it was just a ruse so he could sneak off to see Kikyou while she sat and waited for him as she always did. His puppet.

In her mind she could see him and Kikyou, holding each other and laughing as her told her all about his plan to keep Kagome from interrupting their encounter. Tears pricked the back of her eyes as she tried to force the scene from her mind. She opened her eyes and stared up at the moon. It seemed so close here in the feudal era. At home it seemed cloudy and far away from all the pollution. She noticed the moon had shifted quite a bit since she came to sit under the tree to wait and started to consider that maybe she should just go to Kaede's hut to wait for Inuyasha there. Certainly if it was important enough he would track her down there. She could already see the looks on Sango's and Miroku's faces when she would appear in the hut. Disappointed in her. She had sworn she wouldn't let Inuyasha control her anymore. That she would cut the puppet strings and take some charge in her life.

She sighed quietly. Things had changed so much in the last few months. They had almost completed the shikon jewel, and Naraku hadn't been seen or heard from in months. His minions had all but vanished except for the few sightings of Kagura. No one had decided if it was good or bad that he had disappeared so suddenly but after their last fight Kagome had an uneasy feeling things weren't over. She let her thoughts wonder to that day in her mind, replaying the fight in her mind a dozen times, seeing the destruction around her, how powerless she had felt that day as her friends fought to protect her while she tried to find where the jewel shards were on Naraku's body. She shut her eyes tight to try and shut out the memories as she saw Kirara's lifeless body fall to the ground as one of Naraku's attacks aimed at Kagome had hit her instead. She could still hear Sango's screams as she rushed to her fallen ally's side. Kagome's heart twisted in her chest.

Pushing herself to stand as if it would thrust the memories from her mind, Kagome took a few steps away from the tree and tried to get a better view of her surroundings to see if she could sense Inuyasha anywhere. Of course she couldn't. She again thought of leaving and having him come searching for her. The thought made her feel like she had some sort of power here in this world where Inuyasha called the shots. She sighed as her heart knew she would never leave if Inuyasha told her to stay. 'If only he loved me' Kagome thought. Maybe then living with no power would feel somewhat rewarding. But her love was unrequited and as these months had past, she doubted her love for Inuyasha. She had come to think that the feelings were just familiar and in this world where things could change at a moments notice the familiar felt safe and good. Again her thoughts drifted to the last fight with Naraku. The final moments of battle when Inuyasha dealt one final move to Naraku and his body had exploded. Kagome had rushed to the scene and snatched up all the jewel shards and purified them almost instantly. But as she added the shards to the almost completed jewel, she had heard Naraku's voice in her ear. She shivered as she thought of the words now. She hadn't told a soul that she had heard them, letting everyone rejoice in the fact that Naraku was gone.

"For now." Kagome thought aloud.

Again looking at the stars Kagome tried to force the words out of her head. Naraku's slimy voice that still to this day caused her to shiver.

"It's not over yet puppet. One day your strings will be controlled by me and we will work havoc on this world. Just you wait."

Kagome could picture his evil smile as she assumed he would after a threat like that. Was it just empty words to scare her? She didn't know but she hadn't waited to find out. After returning from their battle she had pulled Kaede aside to assist her in growing her powers so she could fight against the unseen evil that was still residing in the feudal era. She had been vague in what she told Kaede, but she knew the elderly priestess suspected there was more to Kagome's sudden interesting in developing her miko powers. The thought of her growing miko powers seemed to pull Kagome out of her state of thought and caused her to look around her to see if there was anyone around. She had let her guard down and that made her angry. She didn't want to give Inuyasha any more chances to make her the damsel in distress. It was at this moment she noticed a figure moving towards her from the dense trees of the forest.

"Shit." Kagome thought to herself. She tried to use her powers to sense if it was a demon or human but she couldn't get a reading from the figure. This unnerved her. Either they were masking their energy or she was in for some serious trouble. Of course she would get into trouble while waiting for Inuyasha to show up. He would probably be along just in time to rescue her and then scold her for not being more careful.

Kagome tried to take a defensive stance as well as scan the area to see if this thing was alone or in a group. She couldn't get any readings anywhere. Whether that was a good thing she was unsure. The figure moved closer to her, and Kagome noticed it was a woman. She wore a hooded cloak, and the only thing Kagome could really make out was the pale yellow hair that hung around the woman's hips. Kagome suddenly had an overpowering feeling of calm wash over her. She felt her tense muscles relax and felt her slouch a little no longer feeling threatened by the woman.

The woman stopped a few paces in front of Kagome and lowered her hood. She looked Kagome in the eye and Kagome was stunned by the flawless beauty of the woman before her. Her skin was white as snow, and as flawless as marble. She had wide piercingly blue eyes, and her long blonde hair seemed to shimmer in the moonlight. The woman smiled at Kagome, and began to speak.

"Hello Kagome. My name is Mizuko. I am the Goddess of water. I am here to warn you of a developing evil plot against you and to tell you where to begin in your journey to complete your fate."

The woman held out both her hands to Kagome and again smiled. Kagome looked at her for a moment, not sure what to say, then looked down at the woman's hands to inspect them. They faintly glowed, and as Kagome examined the woman more closely she noticed the woman's whole body had this faint glow around her. Finally Kagome felt brave enough to speak.

"What do you mean a plot against me? As in someone plans to kidnap me to get to Inuyasha?"

The woman softly laughed as if Kagome's line of inquiry had been just a joke to lighten the mood, and said, "No dear, I mean you are at the heart of a plot. Only you. Someone seeks to destroy your soul and take your power to take control of this world and the next."

"Naraku" Kagome stated bluntly. Her eyes hardening at the thought of Naraku plotting to come after her. Even though she had suspected it, it somehow shocked her that he would go for just her, and not Kikyou who was obviously the more skilled. The woman nodded. "You already were aware he was coming back did you not? He spoke to you before he vanished."

"He did but I didn't think he would come after just me, I assumed it would be the jewel he was after. Or if it was about power I assumed he would go after Kikyou, she is much more skilled then I."

"She might have more control over her power, but yours is much greater then she could ever dream of. You are by far the more powerful miko in the land even with your limited training."

Kagome's jaw dropped. She had never thought to think that she could possess more power than the great Kikyou. Yet again she had more power than any miko in the land. She didn't even know how to begin to process the information being given to her. She suddenly felt like her head was spinning with all the knowledge being thrown at her so quickly. She looked at Mizuko to see she was just standing there, smiling, patiently waiting for Kagome to come to terms with the information being given to her. It just couldn't be possible. It had to be a trick.

"How do I know you aren't Naraku in disguise, or a minion of his trying to mislead me from his real plot?"

Mizuko smiled brightly. "My child I am only here to deliver to you the information, what you make of it and how you choose to fulfill your fate is up to you. But you have to admit, if I were just Naraku in disguise, or indeed one of his minions, don't you think your friends would be here by now to save you? As he, nor his minions are smart enough to mask their scents."

Kagome nodded slowly, she was right. Every time Naraku had tried to disguise himself in the past or sent a minion to do his dirty work, everyone had been able to sense him right away, or at least his evil energy that seemed to flow freely from anything he touched. Looking up at the stars again for a moment, Kagome began to let some of the information sink in. Looking back at Mizuko she said, "So what is it you are here to tell me?"

"You are fated to remain here till you finish the Shikon Jewel as you already know. But what you don't know is that your soul is destined for much more. You must find your true soul mate, the one that will make your broken soul one; and with him you will again fight against the dark one and kill him. After you have killed him you must complete the jewel at any costs. It is only with the jewel that you will be able to accomplish your ultimate destiny."

"What is my ultimate destiny?" Kagome asked bewildered by the information spewing from the woman's lips.

"That I cannot tell you. Only you will know your true destiny when the time is right."

And with that Mizuko turned to leave, drawing the hood up around her face and dimming the glow that surrounded her. Kagome held out a hand to her and said, "Please, I have just one more question before you leave." Mizuko turned to look at Kagome and she felt her arm drop back at her side.

"Before Naraku vanished, he told me he would turn me into his puppet" Kagome paused thinking of the words again and hearing the slimy voice in her ear. Before she could finish her though Mizuko said "Child you have power beyond your wildest imagination. You will always find a way."

And with that she left, leaving Kagome to decide what to do with the information she was given. Kagome sighed quietly and went to sit back down under the tree, a million thoughts racing through her head all at once. However one kept pushing itself to the front of her mind. Mizuko said she needed to find her soul mate, which had to mean that it wasn't Inuyasha. That even though she carried a piece of Kikyou's soul around inside her, they were never meant to be. Kagome surprisingly felt a sense of relief, she felt free. She was not destined to be stuck here to a man who could never fully love her, even if he wanted too. The realization made her smile. But what was she to do with the other information that had been given to her? Should she just wait for her destiny to find her, or go hunt it down and take some control of her life? Realizing that she had wasted half the night waiting for Inuyasha to come find her, she decided she was done waiting. She was done waiting for all of them to realize she had become her own person and no longer needed them to take care of her. With that she stood up and started heading back to Kaede's hut to get some sleep for her kitsune friend decided it was time to start the day.


	2. Fresh Start

The hot sun beat down on Kagome's back as she held the position Kaede had taught her to use for her meditation. As hard as she tried she couldn't clear her mind of the encounter she had had with the Goddess of water just a week ago. Letting out a frustrated sigh she let her body loosen up and threw herself on the ground looking up at the sky. Ever since her encounter with the mysterious Mizuko Kagome had spent a lot of time looking up at the sky as if the answers she wanted would just fall from the sky. She had been contemplating what she should do about the situation she felt herself falling into.

Sango and Miroku had noticed something was different with her but had kept their distance from her. It was at times like this that Kagome wished her and Sango were still as close as they used to be. She could really use some outside advice from her so called best friend right now. Although Kagome couldn't blame her, it was her fault that Kirara was dead. It wasn't long after the last battle that Sango had told Kagome she needed to reevaluate her life and decide what she was doing with it. Somehow things had changed so much between them since and Kagome wasn't sure how to fix it. Inuyasha too was acting strangely. He hadn't said a word to her about the night they were supposed to meet and talk, and was also keeping his distance. Kagome assumed this meant he was guilty of seeking Kikyou out and spending the evening with her and just didn't want to be caught or made to feel guilty for standing her up. The only two who hadn't changed was Kaede and Shippo, while both of them had noticed the changes in Kagome; they both still acted the same way, and kept giving the others strange looks for their behavior. Realizing she wasn't going to get anywhere with her meditation today, Kagome stood up again and began to stretch to prepare her body for her drills she had made for herself to up her endurance, strength, flexibility, hand to hand combat, archery, and honing her miko powers in healing and for battle. She began with what had become her favorite part of her training, her run. She always ran somewhere different, and she would run till her legs felt like jelly and then keep going. Today she headed toward the western part of the forest, looking forward to see how she would be able to handle running in the unfamiliar terrain that would most likely be extremely unpredictable.

Kagome picked up the bag she had started carrying around with her on these outings, it was a much smaller version of her usual backpack, but it got the job done and didn't weigh her down too much. Today it only carried some food and her water bottles, and some matches and a change of clothes if she decided to camp overnight, which she sometimes thought about on her excursions into the unknown parts of the world. Looking up at the sky one last time, Kagome set off on her run carrying the back pack and her set of bow and arrows. She ran till she felt like she was going to be sick, and then allowed herself to slow down to a walk. After she had been walking for a few minutes Kagome dropped her bag off one shoulder and reached inside for one of the water bottles. After drinking more than half the bottle in one gulp Kagome allowed herself to collapse on the floor. Again her mind started to wonder to what the strange woman had told her just a week ago. Thinking again on the fact that she now felt free from Inuyasha, maybe she should leave, travel around and seek some answers for herself and maybe try to figure out what her fate was supposed to be. Maybe visit some old friends along the way and get some real world training. How else was she going to truly become a better fighter and miko if she didn't apply her knowledge to real world experiences?

Standing again Kagome looked around her. She had traveled far from Kaede's village, much farther than she had intended. Maybe this could be her fresh start. Maybe she could take advantage of the head start she had and just run with it? Keep moving forward?

Sango would surely look after Shippo and Miroku would look after Sango. They might truly be better off without her. All she seemed to do was cause them pain anyways, if it wasn't for her Kirara would still be alive, and Sango wouldn't be dealing with this terrible loss of yet another loved one. Kagome then thought of Inuyasha. Would he even come looking for her? Would he notice she had gone? Kagome lifted her arm to her neck to feel the shikon jewel that hung almost completed on the small chain she had brought from home.

'No, the only thing he will miss is the jewel. He doesn't care about me he will most likely be glad to be rid of me so he can be with his precious Kikyou.'

The thought made her a little sad. While she had already come to terms that she was no longer in love with him, the thought that he had never loved her to begin with still stung, after all the years they had spent together and after all they had been through. She was still never going to be good enough for him and while she told herself she didn't care, a little piece of her heart still broke at the permanent realization that this part of her life was over.

She looked forward and saw nothing but trees and mountains. She was free to go wherever she wanted, but she didn't know which way to start. She was in the west, and the chances of running into Inuyasha's youkai brother, Sesshoumaru were high here. If she did run into him she was not powerful enough to escape the encounter if he tried to fight her. Thinking of this scenario in her head she looked towards the east and wondered what would await her there. Looking up at the sun again she figured she had at least 6 more hours of day light left, and if she moved quickly she could get at least another 5 miles away from the village in case Inuyasha or anyone else decided they wanted to come looking for her. Picking up her things again she started running in the directions of the mountains, letting her feet pound out the anxiety that she was feeling about her new life and any worries she may have had. She took one last glance backwards and then turned her back on the life she had been leading to become the woman she needed to be to figure out her true destiny.

Thank you to the readers who have added my story to your watch lists! I am excited to see where this story goes. I have an idea but even from chapter one so many things have changed. It's a little vague right now but I promise that the action and the suspense and romance will start to pick up! I appreciate any reviews you may have and thank you for taking the time to not just read my story but to tell me what you think of it so far. Anyways, I hope I can publish at least a chapter a day, but between work and school my goal is at least 3-4 chapters a week.


	3. Hero

I do not own Inuyasha or anything related to it. Must remember to state the obvious.

Inuyasha stood by the well, debating if he should go to the other side or not. It had been 3 days since anyone had heard from Kagome and while the others were sure she hadn't gone back through the well Inuyasha wasn't so sure. If she wasn't in the village somewhere where else could she be but home? She wouldn't wander off without him, she knew better.

However this morning after Shippo demanded that Inuyasha find Kagome and apologize for whatever he had done wrong and bring her back Inuyasha had had enough of whatever game she was playing and he had stomped off to the well determined to bring her back. But once the well was in sight he realized not even the smallest lingering scent of Kagome was here. He could usually still smell her scent, however faint, for a few days after she had gone at the well sight. But today he could smell nothing. In fact he hadn't smelled her being in this area at all the day she had disappeared. Now he stood there on top of the lip of the well and wondered if he should go frighten her family by making a surprise visit without Kagome with him.

Deciding against it Inuyasha began to pace back and forth in front of the well, trying to gather his thoughts. He began to think maybe she had been kidnapped, but things had been so quiet lately he doubted any of the lesser demons in the area would care enough to try to kidnap the girl. He thought back to his last encounter with her and tried to remember if she had said she was going to leave or not. He was certain she hadn't said anything, and she wouldn't just take off without saying anything to him. Making his way back towards Kaede's hut Inuyasha tried to figure out what needed to be done. As he was leaving the forest his nose picked up a familiar scent.

"Kikyou"

Inuyasha turned to his left just in time to see one of her soul stealers disappear into the forest he had just left. Looking around to see if there was anyone else around and finding no one, Inuyasha took off towards where the scent was coming from. In only took him a moment to find where Kikyou was standing in the forest, surrounded by her soul stealers absorbing the souls they carried. He stood there for a moment, but looking at how beautiful she looked even now. As he stood there Kikyou turned her head to look at Inuyasha. Upon recognizing him she smiled, and held out a hand to him. Smiling also, Inuyasha took a few steps forward and grabbed her hand and pulled her to his body and hugged her close.

"I have missed you, Inuyasha."

"I missed you too Kikyou, where did you go off to this time? I came looking for you and you were vanished."

Kikyou pulled back from him a little and looked him in the eye. "I needed to go in search of souls to keep up my strength. Lately I have felt a powerful force growing here."

"What do you mean? We got rid of Naraku weeks ago, there isn't anything evil left here Kikyou. Once we track down Kohaku and get his jewel shards and the ones from Kouga as well we will be able to make us whole again, we just have to wish it."

"No Inuyasha, again your naive mind can't look past what's right in front of it. There is evil brewing, you just have to open your eyes and see it."

Inuyasha turned away from Kikyou, not being able to look her in the eyes knowing deep down she was right. He had felt it too, the evil energy rising up again. But with Kagome missing he had no choice but to truly worry about what was happening.

Smiling, Kikyou touched Inuyasha's arm. "Have you talked to the girl yet about me joining you now? I really don't want to keep our relationship a secret any longer."

Inuyasha dropped his head to the ground. "I haven't had a chance to talk to her. I was going to meet with her last week to discuss it but she never showed. Now she has disappeared."

Kikyou's eyes opened wide. "What do you mean she's disappeared? Does she carry the shikon jewel with her? How could you let her out of your site?"

"She's been running drills for herself lately. She didn't like anyone to tag along and I wanted to give her space so that she would be in a better mood for me telling her I wanted you to come into the group. Then she vanished and we assumed she went home but she's not there, she's not anywhere…"

Inuyasha let his sentence end where his thought had. He had no idea what he would do if anything happened to the girl while he was supposed to be protecting her. Looking up at the sky through the trees above them he sighed.

"I'm not sure what to tell the others. They are worried sick that something has happened to her, she's been acting so strangely these past few weeks. Distant from everyone including Sango, no one can figure out why."

Kikyou placed a hand on his shoulder, offering her support. "We need to find her Inuyasha, I have a terrible feeling something is coming over her and she's in horrible trouble."

Inuyasha just nodded, letting his mind wander with thoughts of the missing girl who had become one of his dearest friends.

Kagome had made a routine for herself in the short time she was on the road. She would wake up right as the sun was rising over the horizon and check the traps she had learned to make to see if she had caught any food. If she did she would take the time to skin the animal and clean it off and put it in her bag for dinner. She then would forage some berries from the forest and refill her water bottles in any stream she could find. Before the sun was high in the sky she would be on the move again for the day, only stopping to collect any herbs she found to work on her healing.

It felt strange to be alone in this world, she was so used to listening to Sango and Miroku bicker and to have Shippo talking her ear off that she barely had time to think. And if Inuyasha was around, just forget it, no one could think over his incessant complaining. She had started too really like the silence.

Looking at the road ahead of her, Kagome decided it was time to stop walking and make camp for the night. Looking around she found a nice spot under a tree nearby and started to set up her camp. She finished quickly and made a fire and prepared her dinner. It was a small squirrel, and she finished it quickly after being on her feet all day and lunch being very slim. Afterwards she stood up and stretched, and began her search for either a stream or a hot spring. She really needed a quick bath after the past three days as it had been exceptionally hot and she had been sweating profusely. Walking into the forest she was glad to be in the shade from the setting sun bearing down on her back and dropped her bow and arrows to the side. She tried to listen for the small signs of water but she wasn't being very successful as she had been the past few days. It wasn't too long before she came across a small field surrounded by trees. She was surprised to see a very familiar two headed dragon munching on the grass a few feet away. Shocked, Kagome stopped in her tracks. Looking around she tried to sense any signs of the demon's master, and thankfully there were none. However she did pick up the very weak energy coming from just past the tree line across the field. She wondered if it was the toad that followed Lord Sesshoumaru around or another lesser demon just happening onto the scene, but suddenly she heard the scream of a young girl pierce the quiet day. Quickly pulling her bow out and raising an arrow Kagome raced across the field.

The scene that met her was grisly. A young girl in a ripped orange kimono was running towards Kagome, screaming for dear life. She was covered in blood and Kagome called out to the girl to come quickly out of her line of shot. As soon as the girl broke past the tree line Kagome could see the beast that was responsible for this carnage. The Oni came rushing at Kagome so suddenly she almost didn't have time to jump out of the way. Catching her balance Kagome turned and aimed a sacred arrow at the demon before it had a chance to discover what was happening. The arrow struck the demon in the shoulder, and before it fell to the ground it turned and shrieked at the sudden attack. As it tried to recover from the attack Kagome shot two more arrows as fast as she could into the oni's flesh, and soon it dropped to the ground and laid there, dead. Looking around for the young girl that the demon had been chasing, Kagome spun around in a circle quickly and spotted the girl lying face down by the two headed dragon. The demon was nudging the girl and grunting, as if it was asking her to wake up.

It was then that Kagome realized the young girl must be Sesshoumaru's ward. Running up to her she could see the girl was seriously injured and for a moment Kagome forgot what she should do first. But the girl began to moan and it sent Kagome into action. Turning the girl gingerly onto her back Kagome tried to assess her wounds. They were deep, but not life threatening if she could get them to stop bleeding quickly. Looking around frantically for the herb she needed Kagome stood and raced into the forest and stumbled across her own campsite. Grabbing her bag which held the herbs she would need she raced back to the girl and quickly removed her kimono so she could get the herb onto the wound as fast as possible.

Kagome worked on the girl for what seemed like an eternity. She tore her own shirt to make some bandages for the girl and used her water bottles to clean out the wounds. Soon they stopped bleeding and Kagome was satisfied that the girl was going to be ok. Sitting back on her heels Kagome let out a loud sigh. She checked the girl's temperature with her wrist and was thankful to find that she didn't appear to have a fever.

Suddenly Kagome sensed a very powerful demon coming towards them from the forest where the Oni had emerged. Standing and raising her bow and arrow Kagome took a stance to protect the girl, however before she had a chance to move she was being held by her throat in the air.

"What have you done?" a voice demanded.

Kagome turned her head to try and see who had managed to get a hold of her and was shocked to see the lord of the western lands holding her above him, his eyes glowing red with rage.

"Please, I only stopped to help. I came across the Oni over there trying to kill the girl. Please I was just trying to help." Kagome mumbled as her breaths become shallower from the hold on her throat. She tried to see if her words had had any impact on Sesshoumaru and if her life would be spared. His eyes changed back to the amber color they normally were, and he dropped Kagome to her knees.

"Thank you, Lord Sesshoumaru." Kagome bowed her head out of respect for the demon standing before her, not sure if it was needed, but sure it would by her some time with the demon lord.

Sesshoumaru walked around Kagome and knelt down beside his ward, who was starting to stir. Kagome watched the scene in awe, amazed that the demon lord would show such affection towards the human girl since he always declared how much he hated them. The little girl opened her eyes weakly and looked around, settling her gaze onto Kagome the girl smiled softly.

"You saved Rin's life." The girl stated "Rin is so thankful for you."

Kagome nodded in answer to the girl and smiled. Lord Sesshoumaru looked at the girl in her strange clothes, which were ripped revealing much of her stomach and her short pants showing off her long legs. Looking back at his ward that was still looking gratefully up at her savior, he realized the debt he was in. She had saved Rin's life, and now he must return the favor and one day save hers. Standing up Sesshoumaru wrestled with what he should do now. The girl was a very powerful miko he could sense that easy enough, and her healing capabilities would come to good use while Rin was injured, but he was unsure if he wanted this girl following him around as Rin did. Looking back at his ward he realized he should get her back to his castle so she could rest and sleep in a bed and not on the hard ground in the forest. Looking back at the strange woman before him Sesshoumaru offered his hand to help her stand.

Bewildered Kagome accepted the gesture and stood to face the demon lord.

"You will come with us, to care for Rin."

I again want to thank the followers of my story. Ch.2 wasn't really what I wanted it to be, but im hoping I made up for it in ch.3. I also would like to thank LoveInTheBattlefield for the review and welcome anymore! Ch.4 will hopefully be up sometime tomorrow or the next day.


	4. Beauty, and a Beast

I just wanted to thank the continued support of my readers and the patience you have shown me. Im sorry it took me longer then I promised to upload the next chapter, but I sliced my finger almost clean off and wasn't able to type very well for a few weeks and then just sort of lost inspiration for the story. But im back and want to begin again and finish strong. Thank you for all the support also

Also, still don't own Inuyasha or any of the characters, but the plot is all my own as well as any characters I create.

* * *

There was nothing but silence in the village. Dawn had not yet broken over the horizon and the villagers still slept soundly in their beds. If anyone had been awake it would not have mattered, as the creature moving slowly through the village taking account for everything in it would have simply slashed them to bits with its long claws. It drug its claws in the dirt as its long arms swayed slowly with its large thin body, giving off the essence of evil and destruction. It took inventory of the horses and other animals walking freely around the homes of their masters, grunting as they came close to inspect the strange beast. As it reached the end of the village a man appeared. So beautiful that he almost glowed in the rising sun. It wasn't till the beast was in arms reach of the man that he turned his face towards the beast. Reaching out his hand he pet the beast and it almost purred at the affection. The beast looked up at the man as if trying to communicate the hunger that grew inside it, the hunger for flesh. The man smirked.

"Soon my pet, soon. The pieces are finally falling into place."

And with a final pet on the beasts head and a flash of smoke, he was gone as quickly as he had appeared, leaving the beast to keep heading west. Unknown to the man a woman watched them, hiding in the trees. She turned and walked towards the village the beast had just left, hoping it wasn't too late to find the man she searched and his companions before they left in search of the girl who had disappeared just two weeks prior. As she left there was a faint glow of her silver companions following suit.

* * *

Kagome awoke suddenly, opening her eyes to see her new companion's bright face staring down at her. Trying to turn her face into a smile Kagome sat up.

"How are you feeling this morning Rin?"

Rin smiled even bigger, and said, "Rin is feeling much better Kagome-chan!"

Standing up, Kagome began to stretch her sore muscles. Sleeping on the ground was finally starting to take its toll on her body and as she prepared to run through her normal workout routine she began to wonder where Sesshoumaru was taking them and why. It confused her that he still was interested in keeping her around now that Rin was well. It had taken only a few days for the girl to recover fully from her injuries and once she was back to her normal energized self Kagome had assumed Sesshoumaru would have dismissed her from his care. But nearly two weeks after the attack that had nearly cost Rin her life she was still a part of Sesshoumaru's entourage and had been told to keep close to Rin.

Sighing quietly to herself as she finished stretching, Kagome looked down at Rin who was sitting eagerly by her feet. She too had fallen into Kagome's routine although she always became bored about halfway through and merely sat nearby watching Kagome in fascination as she worked on different aspects of her training.

"Kagome-chan are you going to practice more of your magic today? Rin loves watching you make your pretty lights dance." Rin said as she jumped to her feet to offer Kagome a small cup of water she had collected while the older girl was still asleep.

Kagome couldn't help but to smile as the girl handed her the cup of water, her eyes eagerly waiting for her response. 'At least it looks pretty while im working on it.' Kagome thought to herself. "Yes Rin, I am going to be working on my miko powers today. But first I need to run and warm my body up."

And with that Kagome set out on her run, with a giggling girl following not so far behind her. Taking her run through the surrounding trees and hills Kagome took the moment of quiet to actually take note of where she was. They were somewhere in the western lands, where Sesshoumaru was lord. Kagome took a moment to envision where Sesshoumaru could possibly be headed in the west, and she remembered the conversation she had had with Rin just a few nights prior when Sesshoumaru had left them to go ahead to search for more food and water for his human companions. Rin had spoken of a beautiful castle near the mountains, and from her description it was huge. If that was truly where they were headed they must run into it soon Kagome assumed. Turning to glance behind her and take account of Rin's whereabouts Kagome turned her path slightly to the left to bring them back to camp, ending her run just a little short as Rin was already getting distracted and Kagome didn't want risk losing her in the forest.

About twenty minutes later camp began to come into sight, and as it did so did the very tall demon lord standing gracefully in the center petting the pet dragon. Kagome slowed her pace to a brisk walk to catch her breath and let Rin catch up with her. As they neared camp she saw Sesshoumaru's head turn slightly and she knew he was watching her. His gaze had once made her uncomfortable but truth be told, she had started to slowly warm up to this cold demon lord. When they were no more than 10 feet apart Kagome stopped and bowed, then called out to him.

"Good morning my lord. How was your trip?"

He removed his hand from the dragons back and turned to face them fully to fully take stock of his ward who was skipping happily and surprisingly silently next to the girl. Looking back into the older girls soft brown eyes he nodded, then spoke, "I trust you kept Rin safe in my absence."

Knowing that was probably the longest sentence that he had formed in her presence Kagome let her face set into a small smile. "Of course my lord."

Rin followed up quickly with a jumbled story of all the different things her and Kagome had spent the past few days doing while they had been alone. Looking down at his ward with a softening expression Sesshoumaru simply nodded to the girl to let her know that he had heard her and once she stopped talking looked back at Kagome.

The girl was covered in a very thick layer of dirt and sweat. Her clothes her wrinkled and looked stiff as they hung in awkward ways off her leaner body. He wondered if she had lost weight while he was away. Taking advantage of the silence he turned to go through the pack he had brought with him, and very slowly pulled out a silver kimono. Turning to face Kagome again he said, "Your clothes are extremely indecent. You will not parade yourself around in such a state of undress in front of my ward." He looked impassively at the girl standing in front of him who was now a very unappealing shade of red. "I have brought you some new clothes to wear. It might also help with the stench coming from your person."

Kagome looked at Sesshoumaru as if he had grown three more heads. 'Do I really smell badly?' she wondered quietly to herself. Blushing again Kagome turned her gaze to the ground, before the familiar feeling of anger began to bubble inside her. Turning her angry eyes to the demon lord she snapped, "Well if you hadn't left us here with nowhere to bathe I might not stink. You wouldn't smell all peachy if you had been a few days without a bath."

Sesshoumaru raised an eyebrow at the girl standing in front of him seething with anger and embarrassment. Who did this human girl think she was? Didn't she know that he could kill her with just one finger and not even stop to watch to her body fall lifeless to the ground? And for reasons unknown to him, he was not filled with anger as he would if anyone else had spoken to him so rudely, but filled with amusement at the girls expense. Letting his eyes slowly take stock of her clothes once again he bent down and picked up the bag at his feet and tossed it over to the girl.

"You will find the necessary instruments to bathe in that bag. If you will follow me I will take you to a hot springs nearby."

Flushing an even deeper shade of red, Kagome simply nodded and bent to pick the bag up and as she stood and straightened her shoulders closed the distance between herself and the demon lord, taking the kimono that was still in his hand. As they both turned to walk towards the way Kagome had set out on her run this morning, Rin couldn't help but to giggle quietly at the exchange that had passed between the two adults in her life. Picking a flower from a nearby bush and placing it in her hair, she began to skip after the two.

Kagome and Sesshoumaru walked in silence for what seemed like hours. Trying to appear cool and unaffected by his presence Kagome looked carefully over to the lord walking just a few steps to her right. She had expected him to kill her on the spot when she had let her anger get the better of herself back at camp. Instead he had just stared at her, and as she looked into his amber eyes she could have sworn she saw hints of laughter brewing in his eyes before he squashed back the emotion. Turning her eyes back to the path in front of her Kagome tried to keep her mind focused on anything besides the demon standing to her side, and instead tried to look for signs in the forest that they were close to the springs Sesshoumaru had mentioned. They walked for another hour in silence before Rin touched her leg and started chatting her ear off about the different types of plants they passed. It was nice to have the distraction from her own thoughts as she again looked briefly out of her peripheral vision to look at this confusing man. He had tried to kill her many times in battle and yet here she stood, after having mouthed off to him and all she got was an eye raise? It didn't make sense to her, and a shiver ran down her back as her mind began to think of all the possible reasons he would want to keep her alive. Looking back down at Rin who hadn't noticed Kagome's distant expression and had continued to chatter away on and on about the different flowers she had picked, Kagome tried to shove all the thoughts in her side and just focus on this little girls company. After all, it was what she was supposedly here for.

Sesshoumaru could feel the girls eyes on him without even looking at her, and he could feel her confusion radiating from her person. Trying to focus on just making it the springs he had promised, Sesshoumaru couldn't help but feel confused himself. Looking at his ward running circles around the older girl and laughing he began to wonder if she was truly making him soft. He would have never allowed a human to be in his presence before, and now he had two who he felt the need to protect. It had been a mistake to let Rin get attached to the girl, because now the thought of sending the girl away and making Rin sad didn't settle with him well. He hated to see the young girl cry, and in the past week he had seen her so full of life. In his mind he ran his hand through his hair in frustration and sighed loudly. Attempting to keep his cool composure Sesshoumaru straightened his head and took a few long strides ahead of the girls, pulling a branch aside and exposing the hidden spring.


	5. Acceptance

I would like to thank the wonderful people who have added my story to their favorites list and promise to keep trying to bring out the chapters as quickly as I can write them. I start a new job this week so I don't honestly know how that's going to affect my writing but hopefully it doesn't have a negative impact! Here's the next chapter!

Chapter 5: Acceptance

Kagome slowly stepped around Sesshoumaru to look past the branch he had pulled back. Before her eyes was a beautiful scene, just down a small hill was a small spring surrounded by some large boulders. On the left side of the spring there was a small waterfall, where water sparkled magnificently in the afternoon sun. Kagome's jaw dropped as she took in her surroundings, and looked down as she felt Rin trying to push past her to see what Kagome was staring at.

"Kagome-chan it's so beautiful! And look the water is making a rainbow!"

Kagome smiled sweetly at the girl, "It really is something else isn't it?"

Smiling back Rin started making her way down the path to the water, closely followed by Kagome and Sesshoumaru. Kagome listened to Rin's excited chatter while she continued to take in her plush green surroundings. Laying the bag she was carrying on the ground Kagome bent to rummage through to see what was inside. She pulled out some soap and laid out her and Rin's kimonos. There was also a delicately decorated hairbrush and a small mirror inside as well. Kagome looked up at Sesshoumaru who was standing next to her watching his ward run around the sparkling pond, and wondered if he had packed this bag himself or if he had had someone else do it for him.

Suddenly Kagome realized she was staring into Sesshoumaru's golden eyes and instantly felt her face bloom into an unflattering red color. Deciding to look anyway but back at Sesshoumaru, Kagome stood and asked, "Do you intend to stand and wash us bathe or will you grant us a little privacy?"

Braving a glance at the demon lord standing before her, Kagome could have sworn she saw a hint of a smile in his eyes. But as usual he simply nodded to her and turning to Rin he said, "Rin, I am going to leave you to bathe, stay with the priestess."

"Yes Sesshoumaru-sama!" Rin called happily after her lord as he made his leave of the clearing.

Watching him to make sure he was all the way out of sight, Kagome turned to Rin and smiled. "Are you ready to get in the water?"

Squealing with delight Rin ran over to Kagome to copy the older girl as she removed her clothes and folded them nicely next to the fresh clothes. Grabbing the soap, Kagome took Rin's hand and led her to the edge of the spring and tested the water with her foot. It was warm but and as Kagome slowly stepped in she almost moaned with delight. Sinking all the way into the water Kagome placed the soap on a nearby rock and began floating on the water's surface, letting the warm water wash over her tired muscles. It had been too long since she had been able to just relax, and she planned to take full use of the opportunity. Kagome couldn't help but close her eyes as she forced each and every muscle in her body to relax, feeling as light as a feather. She began to day dream, wondering what had become of her friends. They still hadn't come looking for her, which she had been so sure they would have. The feeling of emptiness that began to fill her heart started to overwhelm her, but she pushed it back. She had made the decision to leave, and if they didn't come to find her that was her own fault. Why should they chase after her every time she ran off? She couldn't help but feel her chest twist when her mind drew up the image of them all happy and cozy with Kikyou, laughing and talking about what a foolish girl Kagome was to think that any of them ever truly cared for her. Shaking her head to get rid of the images she stood and started to scrub her hair as hard as she could to make sure she got all the dirt, sweat and grease out of it before rinsing her hair and starting on her body. Once she felt clean Kagome called Rin over and helped the girl clean her hair and then handed her the soap to finish.

Once the girl had finished washing her body Kagome decided it was about time they finish up. Kagome made her way to the edge of the spring and began to dry off with a small towel that had been in the bag. After dressing herself and Rin, Kagome combed both their hair and started packing up their belongings.

Looking around she was unsure what she was supposed to do now. Sesshoumaru hadn't mentioned if he was going to eventually come back for them or they were supposed to find him somehow. Walking back up the small hill to the path they had traveled to get to the spring and was faced with a fork in the road. 'How did I not notice that on the way to the spring?' Kagome wondered to herself, kicking herself mentally for not paying enough attention to her surroundings. Now they were sure to be lost and she somehow couldn't imagine her current traveling companion to come find them.

'Well he might at least come looking for Rin. It's me no one will come looking for' Kagome thought to herself.

Looking down at Rin who was patiently waiting for her to decide which way to go, Kagome tried to see if she could sense Sesshoumaru's aura anywhere nearby. 'Of course not.' She thought to herself. Why would he make it easy for them to find him? Sighing quietly to herself, Kagome decided on the path to the right and started walking. Sesshoumaru would come looking for them eventually right?

They walked for about 10 minutes before they came to a small clearing where someone had obviously set up camp. Kagome recognized her yellow backpack next to a small pile of firewood and walked over to lay the bag she was carrying next to it. Turning to Rin, Kagome said, "Does Sesshoumaru normally leave you alone like this?"  
"Only if I have Jaken with me as well, Rin does not like to be alone." The girl said seriously. "He must be somewhere nearby though, maybe finding food!" and with that the girl started to dance around the camp humming quietly to herself. Kagome smiled, the girl had such faith in her caregiver that it set her own mind at ease, but she seriously doubted that he was off hunting food for them when she was so capable of preparing their own food. Speaking of, Kagome realized they hadn't eaten anything all day and it was nearly lunchtime. Looking around again to see if she could spot any sign of Sesshoumaru or sense his aura, Kagome turned to pick of her bow and arrows to see if she could find any small animals nearby to cook up for a quick lunch.

"Rin i'm going to go look for food. Would you like to come along?"

Rin stopped and looked at Kagome, the serious look back on her face. "Are you going to kill little animals?"

The dismal look on Rin's face made Kagome feel guilty for thinking of it. Trying to appease the girl she said, "No I was thinking of maybe finding some berries or something like that, this is just for protection." Pointing to her bow and arrows Kagome smiled again to Rin and held out her hand for the girl.

Rin still didn't look pleased. "Sesshoumaru-sama doesn't like it when I wonder off. We should just wait for him here."

Sighing Kagome realized she wasn't going to win this battle. Dropping her bow and arrows next to her backpack Kagome started to bend down to start the fire and lost her balance and fell forward onto her hands and knees, not quite used to moving in the kimono.

"Are you not even capable to sit on your own priestess?" said a cool voice from behind her.

Spinning around quickly Kagome blushed as she saw Sesshoumaru standing just a few feet away. He was holding a small rabbit in his hand, smirking at her misfortune.

"And just what is that supposed to mean?" She asked angrily.

Shrugging, Sesshoumaru walked over to the firewood and started to prep it to make a fire. Kagome watched him bewildered.

"It's harder than it looks to walk around in these kimonos you know. They don't dress like this where I come from." Kagome narrowed her eyes at the back of Sesshoumaru's head. 'Like he could walk around in one of these so easily.' She thought to herself, and almost as soon as the thought crossed her mind, an image of Sesshoumaru attempting to walk around in a kimono sprung into her mind and before she could stop it, she laughed.

Sesshoumaru turned to look at the girl and raised an eyebrow at her. Once she noticed that he was staring at her she attempted to keep a straight face, but failed. Sesshoumaru watched as the girl's face turned red and tears sprung to her eyes. Confused, he asked, "And just what is so funny?"

Attempting again to stop laughing Kagome tried to think what she could say to him that wouldn't end in her death. Watching his face as he raised his eyebrow at her again, Kagome just decided to go with the truth.

"When you made that last comment it made me think if you would be so smug if you tried to walk in one of these things, and then I could just picture you trying to walk around in a kimono and I couldn't contain myself." Blushing a deep red Kagome lowered her head but kept her eyes on Sesshoumaru, to assess his reaction.

"Why would you think of me in a dress at all?" He asked simply.

Surprised that he wasn't going to kill her on the spot Kagome replied, "I don't know. It just sort of popped in my head." Folding her legs in front of herself she hugged them close.

"Hn." Was Sesshoumaru's only reply. 'Man is he a quiet one.' Kagome thought to herself. Looking at the man in front of her she began to wonder again what his plan was for her. They had been traveling for some time and he had yet to mention where they were headed. Conjuring up some courage she asked, "Where are you taking me? Because if you're just trying to use me against Inuyasha to get the tetseiga it's not going to work."

He looked back up at the girl sitting to his left. He couldn't quite place the emotion that was playing on her face, it wasn't just sadness, there was something more to it. Regret maybe? He didn't know.

'And why do you care?' replied his inner demon.

'I don't. I was just curious, I have not dealt with such emotion this girl is feeling.'

'So if you don't care then what IS your plan for the girl? Or are you going to continue roaming in circles outside your home for the rest of this girl's life?'

'She is only here to care for Rin. I have not thought of another purpose for her.'

Sesshoumaru looked back at the girl, whose wide eyes were searching his looking for some answer. But deep in her brown eyes he could see something, some emotion he couldn't place and it made him curious about her. And why was she wandering alone without his halfwit brother? He had never found one without the other being close behind. He allowed himself to wonder about what had happened between them that could cause the separation.

'And here we are thinking about her again. If you don't care for the girl be rid of her, it would be simple enough she's just a weak human.'

Ignoring the voice, Sesshoumaru tried to think of what he should do with the girl. He was indebted to her for saving Rin's life, but what did that mean? Should he allow her to come to his home? What would be the point of that?

"Why are you traveling without my pathetic brother?" Sesshoumaru inquired, watching as the girls eyes drifted to the side as if she was willing herself away.

Kagome had no idea what she should tell him. That she was supposed to be on a mission to find her destiny because some mysterious woman came to her and told her to do so? Even she had doubted if she was even doing the right thing anymore or if this journey she was supposed to be on was just another trap from Naraku or some other evil being trying to get their hands on her jewel shards.

"It's complicated." She replied suddenly, trying to keep her voice even.

"We have time." Sesshoumaru stated simply, as he began skinning the rabbit to prepare it for lunch.

Bringing her eyes back to Sesshoumaru, she sighed. Might as well just be honest, what was the worst he could do, kill her?

"I met a woman a few weeks ago; she told me there was an evil plot against me. Then she told me I must go on a journey to find my soul mate, and once I do that he can repair my broken soul. Then once again we will have to fight against Naraku and complete the jewel so that I can find my true destiny."

Kagome watched as Sesshoumaru carefully began to roast the rabbit over the fire. He must have heard her; there was no way he couldn't have. Maybe he truly didn't care for her answer? Suddenly she was again staring into his golden eyes, eyes that seemed to be searching her, seeing through her even. She almost shuddered at the thought.

"Who was this woman?" Sesshoumaru finally asked.

"I don't know. Her name was Mizuko, but aside from telling me what I have already explained to you, she didn't really explain who she was." Kagome felt like squirming under his intense gaze.

"And why would she think you are capable of defeating Naraku? You do not possess great power or strength. You are a simple priestess."

Flushing with anger Kagome retorted, "It's my destiny it's not like she could have just chosen someone else!"

But what he said was true; she had thought it a million times. Why on earth would Mizuko choose her? What was so special about her that made Mizuko think she could single handedly bring down Naraku.

'Well not truly alone, you're supposed to find your soul mate first.' She thought to herself.

Sesshoumaru watched as the girls face displayed her many emotions. He couldn't believe just how many emotions this girl felt so quickly and so strongly. It was something he had never encountered anywhere, not even with Rin did he witness such mood changes. But there was something else in this girl; he saw it in her anger. There was power and strength, buried deep inside her. With the proper training she could use it to her advantage and overcome her enemy quickly. She just needed training…

Before he fully made the decision Sesshoumaru opened his mouth to speak. "Well if you are supposed to be the one to defeat Naraku, you are going to need training. And since I am in your debt for saving Rin, I will offer you a place in my home, where I will train you if you accept."

Kagome's mouth dropped. Had he really just offered to train her? Eyeing him suspiciously Kagome wondered if he truly meant what he said when he said he felt indebted to her for saving Rin. Should she trust him? Looking over at Rin who was still playing nearby humming to herself, she couldn't help but feel a little bit of jealousy for the girl, so carefree. Looking back at Sesshoumaru, Kagome nodded.

"I accept your offer Sesshoumaru-Sama."


	6. New Powers

I would like to take the time to thank everyone who has taken the time to review my story. I have figured out how to finally do that without having to click on each and every email notification separately. I appreciate all of you who have taken the time to not just read my story but have also reviewed and added this to your favorites! Here is the next chapter I hope you all like it!

**Chapter 6:**

**New Powers**

* * *

Inuyasha sat in a tree overlooking the camp they had made the night before. Everyone was still sleeping soundly and the only sounds that could be heard were the sounds of the animals in the nearby forest. Watching his traveling companion's sleep he couldn't help but start to feel irritated. If he didn't have to haul them around with him he could still be out looking for Kagome right now. There would be no need to stop every few hours to rest or for them to eat. Looking back at the horizon he could see the sun starting to peak over the mountains and the higher it rose the more irritated he got.

Jumping out of the tree he could clearly see Sango holding Miroku's hand as they both slept, with Shippo curled up at her side. He wondered to himself if they would ever truly realize the depth of emotion they felt for each other and finally admit it to one another instead of playing these mind games. Turning to face the forest he decided he would go for a walk and scout out the area to see if there was any sign of Kagome while he waited for the others to wake up. It had been almost 4 weeks since they had heard from or seen Kagome and he was starting to get worried. He should have listened to Kikyou and started looking for Kagome weeks ago, but once again his stubbornness was costing them precious time in their search. Touching the beads around his neck carefully he couldn't help but miss the girl dearly. They had spent almost every day together for almost 2 years and now she was gone.

Feeling a rush of anger he began to run as fast as he could, to where he didn't know, but he knew he needed to let of some of his pent up aggression before he snapped at one of his friends. He ran for barley a few minutes before he came to a clearing. Slowing to a walk he couldn't help but notice the smell of blood lingering somewhere nearby. The scent wasn't familiar but it was definitely human. Looking around he saw an arrow stuck in one of the trees to his left, and there was a sinking feeling in his stomach. Looking around more carefully, he found a piece of torn white fabric covered in blood. Picking it up carefully he started to inspect the piece of material, and to his horror the fabric reminded him at once of Kagome's shirt. Holding it up to his nose he tried to see if he could smell her scent on it at all, but all he could smell was the blood that covered the fabric. He was positive it wasn't her blood, but then whose blood was it? And where was Kagome?

* * *

Kagome looked out the window of her room, the sun was just barley rising and the way the water danced beneath its rays was magical in the morning. As the light touched the small pond and spread throughout the garden Kagome couldn't help but smile at just how lovely it was here. They had arrived at Sesshoumaru's home the day after he had asked her to come train with him. They had been so close the whole time it made Kagome wonder what they had been doing out in the forest for so long while Rin was injured.

And yet almost 2 full weeks had passed since they arrived and Sesshoumaru had still not started her training. In fact she had seen so little of him the past few days she was sure he had just dropped her and Rin off and left again. Instead she spent most of her days wondering the grounds outside Sesshoumaru's magnificent home. It certainly wasn't a castle as Rin had described to her, but it was very close. The home was a simple 3 stories, with a huge dojo taking up most of the third floor. The first floor was by far the biggest, with the huge entry hall, kitchen and dining room, and a library that made Kagome's head spin. There also were the servants corridors behind the kitchen but as her and Rin's personal attendant, Hoshi had explained during the tour, Kagome wasn't to go there as it was strictly off limits. Then there was the second floor, which held 10 bedrooms, Sesshoumaru's study and a small playroom for Rin. Hoshi had only shown them the dojo on the third floor and while Kagome was curious, she hadn't asked what else was up there; although she was certain that Sesshoumaru's room was up there as he did not reside in one of the other 10 bedrooms that were on the second floor.

Each room was carefully decorated and put together elegantly, and it made Kagome feel like she needed to walk on her tip toes to avoid breaking anything. Her room was by far her favorite, as she felt the most comfortable here. She had a small bathroom attached to her room which held a small tub and about a dozen different kinds of soaps and hair brushes spread across the counter next to a good sized mirror. Standing up from her window seat, Kagome stretched and began to make her bed, more out of habit than anything else. It was a fairly large bed, almost a king in her time probably, and the sheets were the softest silk she had ever felt. It was like sleeping on air every night. Deciding she would take a walk and explore the rest of the grounds while it was still quiet, Kagome quickly put on her shoes and headed to the garden.

Kagome walked around the front of the house quietly, trying to take her time. The walls that protected the home from being invaded stood over 20 feet tall, but on this side of they were lovely, covered in ivy and red roses. When she came to the garden, the sun was almost fully set in the sky. All the beautiful colors of the garden popping at her as she tried to take everything in, and she strolled over to a stone bench close to the pond and sat down. Since she had been here this had become her favorite place to come and just sit, whether she wanted to read one of the thousands of books in Sesshoumaru's library, or to simply just think.

'It would even be a good spot to sit and do my homework.' Kagome thought to herself. A twinge of guilt ran through her as she remembered again that she had probably missed the deadline to sign up for her college classes again, and how disappointed her mother would be in her. Thinking of her family and her life back home Kagome became so lost in her own thoughts that she didn't even hear the sound of approaching feet.

Sesshoumaru had watched the girl from his bedroom window come out and sit on the bench, and unable to control himself any longer he had gone to seek her out. He had promised to train her and he would do so, that way he could finally be rid of her and clear his conscious.

Clearing his throat loudly he watched as the girl spun around, her eyes wide with surprise.

Standing quickly Kagome said, "Sesshoumaru-sama I didn't hear you approach." Bowing her head Kagome wondered why she felt so bewildered by her presence all the sudden. Looking back up at him she tried to keep her face calm to match his.

"I assume you are ready to start your training?" Sesshoumaru said calmly, trying to wonder why the girl looked so shocked to see him. This was his home after all.

"Uh…yes I am. I just need to change my clothes I don't think I could train very well in this." Holding up the sleeves of her new kimono to demonstrate her point. Sesshoumaru nodded at her then said, "Meet me up in the dojo in approximately 5 minutes. Don't be late."

And with that he left, leaving Kagome feeling flustered. The idea of changing into the only other outfit she had with her was a bit embarrassing, but there was no way she could fight in this kimono and she didn't want to look like a fool stumbling around while Sesshoumaru was trying to train her. Running back up to her room she changed quickly and ruffled through her backpack till she found a hair tie and threw her hair up in a high pony tail and headed upstairs.

Standing outside the door of the dojo Kagome wasn't sure if she should just walk inside or knock, and before she could actually get the courage to do either she heard a voice from within.

"Do you plan to stand at the door all day or are you coming inside?"

The voice was almost teasing, and Kagome couldn't help but feel herself blush in frustration that the one time that Sesshoumaru chose to show emotion it was to make fun of her. Opening the door she tried to look as calm and collected as possible, especially when she felt his eyes on her; no doubt wondering what the hell she was wearing.

Feeling suddenly self-conscious Kagome crossed her arms across her body as if to hide from him, but forced herself to stand tall so he didn't think he intimidated her.

Sesshoumaru eyed her wardrobe carefully. The shorts she wore only came down to the middle of her thigh, and her shirt was just as revealing, with no sleeves and the dipped neckline. Looking back up at the girl he could sense she was embarrassed that he was staring at her, but he just couldn't look away. Her long legs were tone, as were her arms; and with her hair pulled away from her face he couldn't help but notice just how beautiful her face was. Looking deep in her eyes he could see her confusion and embarrassment so blatantly, and trying to keep his cool façade, said coolly, "Is THAT what you're wearing to train in? Those little scraps of cloth?"

Kagome frowned. It's not like she was walking around in a bikini but from the look on his face she might as well be. Trying to remain calm and confident in herself she said, "I can move around very easily in this, unlike those kimonos where I'd be stumbling over myself with how constricting they are."

"Hn."

Kagome felt like screaming, she couldn't help but feel like he had dismissed her like he would a servant and it upset her to think he would treat her that way. He however, didn't say anything else and just turned around to walk towards the wall that held a variety of swords.

"You have no training with swords I assume?" Looking at her and taking her blank stare as a no he continued. "You will first need to learn how to maneuver your body in hand to hand combat before we even deal with these weapons. It would be easy enough for an enemy to knock your weapon from your hands and if you have no hand to hand training you are as good as dead without something to defend yourself."

He watched as Kagome nodded to what he said, but he could sense that she wasn't paying full attention to him, so taking full advantage he lunged at her.

Kagome almost screamed when Sesshoumaru suddenly lunged at her. Jumping to the side she narrowly missed his claws as he raked them through the air where she had just been.

"You must never let your guard down at all. Your enemy won't wait to make sure you're paying attention."

Watching him carefully Kagome tried to get into a defensive stance, mimicking something she would see Sango do. Sesshoumaru smirked, and lunged again, this time landing a blow to the stomach when Kagome didn't move fast enough.

Kagome fell flat on her back, the air rushing from her lungs as her body absorbed the blow. Trying to collect herself quickly she tried to stand, but Sesshoumaru was already standing over her, his boot now digging into her throat.

"You need to always try to anticipate your enemy's next move. Search for their aura and get a reading, its amazing what the enemy's body will let off without them realizing it. Because of yours I knew where you would move and attacked where I assumed you would be."

Taking his foot from her throat he allowed her to stand up before continuing. "Don't go for the obvious kill either, most of your enemy's will expect that and you will lose. Use your cleverness to your advantage. Circling around the girl he couldn't help but smirk at her again. Her face was set in determination, and he had to admit he admired that in her. Turning to face the wall behind him so his back was to Kagome he stalled, waiting to see what she would do. When she didn't move he jumped behind her and wrapped his arm around her neck.

"And if your enemy is ever stupid enough to turn their back on you, take full advantage of that fact and attack them. Don't wait for them to come back around."

Throwing her to the ground he watched as she glared up at him. He could sense her anger was growing and it pleased him. Being angry was the best way to get effective training done, and he was hoping she would snap soon and attack him.

"You can't harm anyone with your looks priestess, so don't waste so much energy on those facial expressions."

Kagome couldn't help the explosion of rage that burned through her suddenly. Lunging from the ground at him she brought her fist hard against his face, and then quickly came around again to sink one to the stomach. Jumping backwards Sesshoumaru almost smiled, she was finally fighting back and he was going to take full advantage of her anger. Waiting for her to lunge at him again he grabbed the arm she was leading with and used it to flip her onto her back. She quickly jumped back up and was at him again. They fought back and forth for what seemed like an eternity. Kagome could feel her legs burning and her lungs felt like they were going to burst, but the adrenaline was pumping through her veins and she just couldn't stop. She watched as Sesshoumaru lunged at her again, claws extended and jumped to her left, then through her whole body weight into his side throwing him off balance.

They rolled in a heap of legs and arms and when they finally stopped moving Kagome lay atop Sesshoumaru, their faces inches apart. Kagome rest her hands on his shoulders and leaned up a little bit, and as she looked down at her opponent she could see the amusement in his eyes. She couldn't help but feel like laughing, seeing the amusement in his eyes was almost contagious and yet there was something else there that she couldn't quite place.

Sesshoumaru watched the girl as she stared at him, the feel of her lean body against his caused him to feel something he didn't want to think about, at least not with this human girl. They started into each other's eyes for a few minutes, neither of them moving.

Suddenly Sesshoumaru winced; there was a burning sensation in his left shoulder and moving down to where his arm had been severed by Inuyasha. Looking down he could see the girls hands were glowing a light pink and her eyes were now glazed over as if she were possessed. Looking back at his arm he could feel the sensation moving lower, and soon there was tingling along with the burning moving down his whole shoulder and arm. Just as soon as it started it was over, and Kagome collapsed on top of Sesshoumaru, breathing hard as if she had just been running top speed. Sesshoumaru was confused, he could feel the ground beneath his left hand, feel his fingers moving, the soft fabric of Kagome's clothes, and finally he lifted it up so that he could see it.

Sesshoumaru sat up carefully, holding the girl to his chest with his right arm, he carefully inspected his left arm which for all appearances seemed to be fully restored. He clenched and unclenched his fingers a few times and turned his hand over to inspect both sides. He honestly didn't know what to do with himself; the rush of emotion that was running through him was foreign to him.

The girl in his arms started to move, which brought his attention back to her. Releasing his hold of her he watched as she sat up, still sitting in his lap, and touched her head as if she had a headache. Looking back at Sesshoumaru her eyes were filled with confusion. "What just happened? I feel like I got hit in the head with something."

Words escaped him, he had no idea how to tell her that somehow she had regenerated his arm and he had no idea if he should thank her or what. Shrugging he held up both his hands to show her that once again he had two. It took her a moment to truly realize what she was looking at, but the way her face lite up when it finally registered was truly beautiful. Her face broke out into a huge smile and she almost shouted, "Sesshoumaru your arm! Oh my god! Did I do that to you? But how I've never been able to do something like that before…"

"Your hands started to glow and your eyes glazed over, and there it was." Sesshoumaru stated simply, still not sure what to say, and a little taken away by the dazzling smile she had gifted him with.

Looking at her own hands Kagome couldn't help but feel confused. She had never unintentionally used her miko powers like that, and never to heal anyone. Looking back up at Sesshoumaru she could see he was confused, and then she realized just how close she was to him still and jumped up. "I'm sorry Sesshoumaru-sama I didn't mean to intrude in your personal space like that."

He just stood and nodded at her, still unsure of what to say. Looking at her eyes he could see she was waiting to see what he would say to her, so he finally said, "I would like to talk to you about technique a little later this evening. After dinner meet me back up here."

And with that he walked out of the room, closing the door softly behind him. Looking around quickly to see if anyone was around he darted to his room and once inside he ripped off his haori to fully inspect his new arm. Looking down at the arm that less than a few minutes ago had been a stump, he couldn't help the overflowing of happiness that worked through him. There wasn't even a scar to leave evidence behind that he had ever been without this arm in the first place. Looking down at his hands, both his hands, he couldn't help the smile that spread across his face.

* * *

Kagome was nervous. After her strange encounter after their sparring match Kagome had gone down to her room to change again, and had found the tub in her room filled with steaming hot water, which she had been very grateful for. Now that she was clean and fully dressed in one of the many kimono's that Sesshoumaru had had placed in her wardrobe, she was sitting with Rin in the dining room eating lunch. The girl chattered nonstop about how her morning had been, and was asking a million questions. Kagome couldn't help but feel a little guilty that she couldn't give the girl her undivided attention like she had been for the past few weeks, but her mind was somewhere else entirely, still looking into those golden eyes trying to figure out just what emotion had been there when they had both realized what Kagome had done.

Hoshi cleared the girl's plates and watched as Kagome seemed to be gazing off into nothing. She wondered what was on the girls mind as she was usually very cheerful, especially with young Rin around.

"Are you feeling well Lady Kagome?" Hoshi said quietly as she placed the dishes in a bin close to the kitchen. Turning to look at the girl she noticed she hadn't even heard her, being so lost in her own thoughts. Lightly touching the girls arm she noticed several bruises around the girl's neck, and immediately pulled her hand away. Kagome looked up startled at the woman's touch but tried to smile warmly at her.

"I think I'm going to take a walk in the garden Hoshi. Please tell Lord Sesshoumaru this if he asks for me."

Hoshi watched the girl exit the dining room and felt pity for the girl. She seemed so sad for someone so young, and she wondered just what the girl had had to live through in her short years of life, and just how her lord factored into it.


	7. Kidnapped

Authors Note: Thank you for all the wonderful reviews! If it wasn't for you I wouldn't try so hard to make sure that these chapters got out as regularly as they are now. I really hope you like this chapter, but I honestly got so lost while writing it, trying to write everything to make it so what I want to happen between the characters still happens and makes sense, while at the same time I keep the story going where I need it to go so I can introduce more of the plot. So please R&R and let me know what you think so I can make sure im doing both!

**Chapter 7:**

**Kidnapped**

Sango and Miroku were just finishing cleaning up breakfast when Inuyasha finally made his way back into camp. Sango watched him as he came within a few feet of Miroku and stopped, his face looking bleak.

"What is it Inuyasha? We were wondering where you had run off to." Miroku asked puzzled. He couldn't help but feel the despair rolling off Inuyasha in waves.

Unable to speak, Inuyasha held up the bloody cloth that was dangling from his pointer finger and thumb. Sango and Miroku looked confused for only a moment, and then the realization of what he held in his hand dawned on both their faces. Sango buried her face in her hands, trying to hide the look of anguish that was now covering her face. Miroku let his head fall to the ground saying nothing.

Shippo finally broke the silence, and walking over to Inuyasha he tried to see if he could smell his mother's scent anywhere on the piece of cloth.

"That's not Kagome's blood Inuyasha!" Shippo shouted. Jumping up to sit on the hanyou's shoulder he sniffed the air around the cloth again and he was certain of it. "It's not her!" he shouted again. Growling, Inuyasha knocked Shippo from his shoulder and exclaimed, "Of course it's not her blood you twit! But this is a piece of her clothes and it happens to be covered in human blood!"

Taking the fabric from Inuyasha's hand, Miroku began to inspect the fabric. It was indeed the strange fabric Kagome wore, but it seemed as if it had been ripped almost too perfectly from her clothes.

"Inuyasha I don't think any harm has come of Kagome. It seems like she probably tore this herself, probably to make a bandage for whoever's blood this is. Look it's ripped to perfectly." He said as he held the fabric out for all to see.

"But then where is Kagome? If she were traveling with someone this injured I doubt they could have gotten far." Sango stated trying to remain optimistic for the girl that had become more of a sister to her.

"I don't know I can't find her scent anywhere. I just hope she's doing ok." Inuyasha mumbled, looking off towards the western skyline.

* * *

Kagome could already feel her muscles starting to feel sore after the rough battery they had been put through this morning. Lifting the sleeve of her kimono she could see the various bruises starting to form and could only imagine what the rest of her body looked like.

Sighing quietly Kagome looked up at the afternoon sun. There was heaviness over her heart, and she knew the familiar feeling creeping in. The sadness of the reminder that Inuyasha didn't love her, that her friends didn't truly care for her as she did for them. Closing her eyes she could see them with Kikyou and tears pricked the back of her eyes, but she squeezed her eyes as hard as she could and tried to force them back. She would not cry here, not where Sesshoumaru could see her and realize just how much of a weak human she was. Her thoughts drifting to the mornings training left her feeling flushed and a little angry. He had not gone easy on her which she did appreciate, but after she had accidently healed his arm he had left just as fast as he could. She couldn't help the feeling of abandon that rolled through her at the thought, everyone was always so quick to use her and leave her. The feelings of started to overwhelm her and Kagome opened her eyes to take in her surroundings.

'What am I doing here? I don't belong here I shouldn't have agreed to come.' Kagome thought to herself. Standing up she started to run, not quite sure what she was planning to do. She didn't have any supplies or her bow and arrow but it didn't matter to her, she just needed out of here as fast as possible.

She got to the wall that surrounded the house and began looking for a way out. Finding a small door hidden behind the ivy that covered the wall she pushed it open and crawled out. Standing on the other side of the wall she wasn't sure where to go now, or what she would even do on her own with nothing. The overwhelming urge to just run came over her and she ran till her legs couldn't take it anymore, and then pushed on longer. She ran for hours before she finally collapsed to the ground in the middle of the forest. The sun was lower in the sky and Kagome knew it was probably getting close to dinnertime. Would Sesshoumaru come looking for her when she didn't meet him in the dojo? 'Who am I kidding; he'll be glad to be rid of me without having to send me away. I did him a favor.' She thought miserably to herself. She thought of Rin, and how disappointed she would be when she heard Kagome had left without even saying goodbye to her, and for a moment Kagome almost turned back around, but reminding herself that she didn't belong there Kagome hung her head and stared at the shallow path in front of her and wondered where it was going to lead her.

Standing slowly and trying to get the feeling back in her legs Kagome tried to get a sense of direction, but she had no idea where she was. She wasn't prepared for this and she began quietly chiding herself for taking off on a whim without any supplies. Looking around she tried to tell if she could find any signs that she was close to a river or stream or any body of water. She needed water and soon, the day had been hot and she had not had much to drink since the day before, and the last thing she needed was to pass out and die from dehydration. Not seeing or hearing any signs of water, Kagome decided she would just keep walking forward till she found something, and then she would follow it to the next village and try to trade her skills for some supplies. Nodding at herself as she put her plan together she couldn't help but notice a shift in the forest. There was a strong demonic aura nearby, and it was closing in on her fast. It was familiar to her but she couldn't quite place where.

Suddenly she was face to face with Naraku, his nose only inches from her own as his eyes bore into her. Kagome began to panic, but forced herself to try and remain calm.

"Na-Na-Naraku." She stuttered, slienting screaming at herself to keep calm and not to look afraid.

He simply smiled at her, his eyes running up and down her body as slowly began to circle her, he finally spoke. "Well, well, well. What do we have here, Inuyasha's little wench traveling alone, with no one to protect her."

"I'm not alone." Kagome said quietly, still not being able to find her voice. What was she going to do? She had absolutely no way to defend herself and she was in the middle of the forest with no one to save her.

"Hmmm, I don't smell the dirty mutt or any of your other fellow human companions nearby. I don't even smell their scent on you, which leads me back to the conclusion that you are alone little miko, with no one or nothing to protect you."

Kagome stiffened as she felt his breath on the back of her neck, and tried to stand tall and stand her ground. She would have to find a way to escape and run, to where she didn't know but she just needed a good head start. Before she could move suddenly his arms were around her, one arm around her stomach and the other at her throat, holding her stiff body against his. He bent his head at her throat and Kagome shut her eyes tight as she felt his tongue moving along the base of her throat and to her ear. She felt like she was going to be sick, his tongue continued its intrusion on her person, as he drew it along to her other ear and back down her throat.

"You taste so sweet little miko, your innocence and purity makes my blood tingle. Now what should we do with you, kill you on the spot perhaps?"

His hand squeezed her throat a little and Kagome couldn't control the little whimper that escaped her lips.

"No, I think you need to come with me, maybe we can break down this spirit in you and you can finally be the puppet I always dreamed you would be."

And with that Kagome felt a sudden blow to her head, and as she fought to stay conscious she felt herself being thrown over his shoulder and felt him take off. Her last conscious thought was of golden eyes, hoping she would get to see them again.

* * *

Sesshoumaru grew angry, it was now an hour past dinner and the girl had still yet to show her face. He had shown up at dinner hoping to see her so he could thank him properly for regenerating his arm, but she hadn't shown up. He assumed she was resting as this morning had been intense, and he had seen her meditating in the garden before he had returned to his study to get some work done. But now he was sitting her feeling foolish, waiting on a human girl. Feeling his anger roll through him he stood up and exited the dojo, determined to find the girl and explain to her that when this Sesshoumaru told her she needed to be somewhere at a certain time, she either needed to show up or at least send her servant to tell him she wouldn't be coming.

He started in her room, and found it empty except for the girls few belongings. Her bed was neatly made and aside from a book sitting on top of the desk and her pack and weapon the room looked completely uninhabited. Looking down at the book his curiosity got the better of him and he opened the book to the front cover. In her elegant writing Kagome had written, 'For the eyes of Kagome Higurashi only!'

Flipping to the next page Sesshoumaru realized it was her diary and shut the book quickly, not wanting to invade her privacy. Leaving the room he searched the rest of the house and the grounds before realizing she wasn't anywhere to be found. Slowly he began to search for her scent, and finally found the weak lingering scent moving towards the wall. Following it he found the door that he had used a thousand times as a child to escape the everyday life of being the son of one of the mightiest demons around. He had hid it not long after Rin came to stay with him to keep her from wondering around outside the grounds so he and Jaken could keep a better eye on the girl, and now the scent of the miko was so strong he knew she must have left.

Leaping over the wall easily, Sesshoumaru tried to follow the girls scent but it was fading quickly as the breeze picked up. He ran for just a few moments, his lightning speed allowing him to track the girls scent quickly, and it only took a few minutes to recognize another more evil scent lingering with that of the miko's. He reached a tiny clearing and wrinkled his nose at the wretched stench of the hanyou's scent overpowered him. There was no sign of the girl or Naraku, and he couldn't help but feel a little guilty knowing that the girl had escaped from him, only to be captured by Naraku. Looking down at his newly regenerated arm Sesshoumaru sighed. Again he was in the girl's debt and if that meant tracking down Naraku and saving her life then so be it. He could only imagine the tortuous things the demented hanyou had in mind for the poor girl.

* * *

Kagome awoke suddenly, and as soon as she opened her eyes she wished she hadn't. It was pitch black, and as memories of what had happened before she had been knocked unconscious began to flood over her conscious, she couldn't help the tears that welled up behind her eyes. She had allowed herself to be an easy target, and Naraku had only been thoughtful enough to oblige and kidnap her. Trying to move her body to test for any injuries she realized there was a chain wrapped around her left wrist, and pulling on the chain she realized it must be cemented into the floor somewhere nearby. Her head was pounding, and as she raised her right hand up to her head to see what the damage was, and surprisingly she felt the warm sticky feeling of her own blood on the back of her head. It seemed minimal to her as the flow seemed to have stopped for the most part, but she still knew the risk of infection with a wound such as this, and in her current surroundings she couldn't help but imagine all the different bacteria crawling around all around her.

Shivering she tried to focus her mind, and willed her eyes to adjust to the darkness so she could at least make out her own hand in front of her face. Attempting to see just how much actual mobility she had with the chain Kagome stood and walked as far forward as she could, about 10 steps. Reaching her arms out in front of her she didn't feel another wall, so she tried taking some steps to the left and only 6 steps later did her hands feel the pressure of a firm cold surface beneath them. The familiar feeling of stones beneath her fingers reassured her that she was close to at least one wall. Turning she walked as far to the right as she could and was surprised when 10 steps later she was touching another wall. Trying to let her mind imagine her current surroundings, Kagome decided to feel along the wall back to where she had been originally sitting. As she quietly counted her steps to herself she felt her foot tap something metal on the floor, and she bent down to inspect the object. It was a small tray, holding a cup and some bread. She contemplated whether it was safe to eat but deciding Naraku wouldn't kidnap her and go to the extremes to chain her up just to poison her without at least trying to torture her just a little. Sitting down next to the tray Kagome carefully took a few bites of the bread and sipped at the water, trying to make sure it would last for as long as possible in case this was the last meal she would be able to eat for some time. Leaning against the back wall Kagome closed her eyes and tried to imagine herself away to a place where she felt safe and happy, but all she could picture was Kikyou taking her place. They didn't care about her, she was just a replacement and now that she was permanently out of the way they could finally not worry about hurting Kagome's feelings and would certainly call on the more experienced miko to come to their aid. She wondered to herself if Inuyasha would be kind enough to go deliver the news to her family, or if they would wait years, hoping she would return and forever grieving her absence in their lives. Tears pricked her eyes again and this time Kagome just let them all, she was going to die here in this horrible place she was certain, and no one would even miss her.

She cried for what seemed like hours, then finally the tears stopped coming and Kagome wiped her face and tried to tell herself to be strong. She opened her eyes and was surprised at how quickly her eyes were adjusting to the lack of light, she could make out some dim shapes here and there, although she still had no idea what they were and she wasn't going to find out anytime soon she told herself, imagining different pieces of bone laying around the cell was bad enough she didn't want to actually know that's what those shapes were. Finally she heard something, footsteps making their way down a hallway on one side of the wall, echoing through what must be a dungeon. Pressing herself firmly against the wall she watched as a door materialized out of the darkness, and light flooded the cell.

Naraku stood in the doorway, a lantern in his hand. Looking at the surprised look on the girls face when he entered he was pleased to see that her eyes were red as if she had been crying. Smiling evilly at the girl he said, "How do you like your new home little miko? I do hope it's up to your high expectations."

Kagome said nothing, and just continued to stare at him, attempting to wipe the look of surprise off her face and replace it with a calm, blank expression; she was not going to let him get the better of her.

"I see you did not like the food I brought. Does that mean you don't want any more of it?"

Shaking her head Kagome tried to keep her voice stead as she said, "I was just trying to make it last. There's not sense of time when there's no light." Trying to look brave she stared him straight in the eye, raised her head and continued, "But I've definitely had better."

Naraku laughed quietly as if this was some private joke that she should have gotten. When he stopped laughing, he began to simply look at her body, and Kagome couldn't help but feel he was trying to undress her with his eyes. Shifting uncomfortably beneath his gaze Kagome couldn't help the feeling of bile rise in her throat as her mind drifted to the different things beginning to run in his mind.

He walked up to her and bent down and just stared into her face for a few moments, before he grabbed her around the throat and stood up. Shoving her against the wall behind her he pressed his body against hers and Kagome closed her eyes and imagined herself shoving him off her and running, but the clinking of the chain against the wall reminded her she had nowhere to go. He ran his tongue up her throat, and began to tug at her kimono.

"I have always wondered what you looked like naked priestess. Always running around in those little clothes exposing yourself have really left not that much to the imagination, but still…"

He let the sentence linger unfinished between them as he touched her body. Kagome couldn't help but feel the tears prick the back of her eyes again, her mind running wild with the different things that could happen to her, knowing there was no one to save her now.

"Hmmm…let the games begin." Naraku whispered ominously into her ear, and with that he brought his hand up and slapped her hard across the face, sending her stumbling to the right. Looking back at her captor wide-eyed Kagome couldn't stop the tears that were starting to fall down her face as he approached her again.


	8. Broken

Authors Note: Thank you guys for the continued support and every time I check my email and see more notifications it inspires me to write better and faster so keep them coming! I would have got this chapter out sooner but I got a nasty stomach bug and could barely get out of bed after the worst of it was over. But im back to feeling 100% better now and im trying to get this chapter done before I have to stop to start getting ready for my cousins wedding.

**Chapter 8:**

**Broken**

Kagome lay across the dirty floor of her cell, eyes open but not truly seeing her surroundings. Her body was battered and bruised, and the kimono she had been wearing the day she first arrived in this hell was now ripped to shreds, revealing much of her body. Blood dripped down her thigh to the cold stone floor, but it didn't seem to faze the girl who lay lifelessly across the floor.

Kagura almost pitied the girl who had changed so much from the first night here in Naraku's castle. The fight was gone from her and she no longer even screamed and fought against Naraku's vicious beatings and attacks on her psyche, instead she simply laid there with her eyes focusing on some point far away while silent tears slid down her face. Sliding the tray of food so that it was in front of the girl Kagura watched to see if she would again not make a move to eat or drink anything, only to find that the girl seemed to have finally drifted off to sleep. Leaning against the wall Kagura watched the girl with curiosity as her body twitched, whether from the cold room or from her dreams she wasn't sure, but taking pity on the girl she left, a thin sheet no one would miss. As Kagura bent down to place the sheet firmly around the girl she could help but cringe slightly at the mutilation that had been done to her body. Bite marks and different sized lacerations ran along the girl's body, and where one bruise ended it seemed another would begin. There was no end to the brutality of her master that was certain, and with a careful and light touch she wasn't sure she had possessed, Kagura slowly washed off the blood from the girl's body, moving gently over the wounds that had not yet healed. Looking down at the now filthy sleeve of her kimono, Kagura wrinkled her nose in disgust. Why she felt sorry for this stupid human girl was beyond her, and it irritated her to no end that she didn't even try to fight for the freedom she had once had. Turning she was shocked to find herself standing face to face with Naraku.

"What are you doing here Kagura?" He asked playfully, a dangerous smile playing on his lips.

"I was just bringing her food as you instructed Naraku." Kagura whispered, trying to sidestep him and escape to her own room.

Naraku thrust his arm out, blocking her path. Looking around the wind witch he inspected the girl lying on the floor in the cell in front of him, and before he could try to squash it down desire began to pool dangerously in his belly.

"It seems you have done more than just give her food, or do you think me blind and that I wouldn't notice?"

Not sure how to react Kagura bowed her head, trying to think of an excuse to what she had done, finding none other than she pitied the girl and was hoping she would snap out of whatever trance she was in.

"Certainly you weren't trying to help her were you?"

Kagura kept her eyes on the ground, so Naraku pressed on. "Do you not remember your last punishment Kagura?"

She flinched at the words, vividly remembering the savage beating that had ensued the last time she had disobeyed him, but she still said nothing.

"So…perhaps I should teach you another little lesson? Hmmm? What do you think?"

"Naraku, please." Kagura begged, still avoiding his eyes. He loved it when she was on her knees begging him for her life, so carefully she got to her knees and carefully bowed low to him.

Naraku smirked, and kicked the witch hard in the head causing her to fall to her side on the floor. Walking over to inspect the girl who seemed to be sleeping peacefully, he bent down and undid her chains and scooped her up in his arms. Looking back at Kagura he said, "Maybe a night down here will teach you not to interfere."

With that Naraku closed the door to the cell and slid the lock in place. Carefully taking the girl up to his room he laid her across the bed and slowly began to undress her.

Kagura sat in the corner, humming quietly to herself trying to keep her mind from the girl upstairs that she had probably sentenced to the vilest crimes. It wasn't long before the sound of her screams tore through the castle, a sound that had not been heard for weeks. She hummed louder, stuffing her fingers in her ears to keep the sounds of the girls screams from entering her mind.

Sesshoumaru sat at the desk in his study, staring at the papers he was supposed to be reviewing proposing a new amendment to an old law, his mind elsewhere. It had been almost 4 months since the human girl had disappeared from his home, and while he had kept an ear out for anything involving Naraku, the news had been useless and minimal at best. With not much to go on, he had abandoned the search for the girl, admitting defeat hadn't been easy but it was all he could do. However since that fateful day he hadn't been able to take his mind off the girl, and while he thought it would pass with time it hadn't, it had only gotten worse. He saw her face even in his dreams and he couldn't help but feel guilty that he, the greatest demon to have ever walked the planet couldn't even protect a lowly human girl.

Wanting to wash the guilt off he called in two of his best scouts, and informed them that he again wanted them to go search for new news of Naraku. The two looked at each other before leaving the room to pack for their trip. Sesshoumaru could make out their conversation as they were leaving, both wondering what his fascination was with Naraku all the sudden. Standing to go to the nearby window Sesshoumaru watched as the skies brightened with the morning sun, plans running through his mind on what he would do when he found the human girl. Would she even be alive? Or had Naraku already killed the helpless girl? The thoughts were unsettling in his mind, but no matter how hard he tried to contain them the visions of her chained up in a lonely dungeon kept creeping back into his mind.

Looking back at his desk and all his paperwork he let out an inaudible sigh, and once again headed for the front gate. Once outside the great wall he again set off searching for some sign of the girl, and he wasn't surprised to find that again, there was no sign of her. He ran for some time, before deciding he should just leave the searching to his two best scouts, and what was the point in separating them from their families if he was just going to go searching for her himself? Heading back to the castle he tried to tell himself that he was being ridiculous. Why did he even care so much for this human girl? It was the one question that crossed his mind daily, and no matter how much he thought about it or ignored it he couldn't think of a reason why. He felt indebted to her true, but even that wasn't worth spending so much time and resources searching for her when deep down he knew she was probably dead by now, or very close to it.

When he returned to the castle Rin was running around in the gardens laughing loudly. The girl had been devastated to hear that Naraku had kidnapped the priestess, reliving her own personal memories of when Naraku had taken her. Over the month the girl had asked about the priestess less and less, and it seemed she had almost entirely forgotten about her, but Sesshoumaru still felt the sadness and loneliness that accompanied the girls scent now and he knew he was wrong. She would not be able to forget about the priestess till she knew she was safe from Naraku.

Making his way over to the garden he tried to keep his face as clear of emotion as possible, knowing the girl was going to start asking him questions he didn't have answers too. He didn't like to admit that he cared deeply for this girl, and wouldn't even begin to try to understand why he couldn't say no to her when he didn't wish to answer her questions. The girl looked up and smiled at her lord, and he braced himself for the human torpedo she was as she latched on to his leg to give him a big hug.

"Sesshoumaru-sama I am happy to see you today! Have you heard any news of Kagome-chan?"

Looking down into her pleading eyes, he slowly shook his head no, watching as her eyes quickly glazed over with a thin layer of tears.

"I heard around the palace that you had sent men out to search for Naraku again and hoped that meant you had heard something. Rin is missing her." Watching the girl as she unlatched herself from his leg and walked over and plopped herself down next to one of her favorite flower bushes, Sesshoumaru tried to contain his feelings of guilt for yet another time in the day. He sighed quietly and tried to tell himself again that it hadn't been his fault the girl had run away, so he should stop feeling guilty, but the feeling still lingered and he didn't like it one bit. Watching Rin tug on the grass beneath her hands Sesshoumaru patted her head gently and quietly promised her that he would find the priestess, if it was the last thing he did.

Kagome opened her eyes slowly, feeling the unfamiliar touch of silk touching her body. She was naked, and her body ached in ways she didn't understand, but seeing that she was alone she carefully raised herself up off the bed she had been laying in. Memories of the night before rushed through her mind and for the first time in weeks tears came to her eyes. In the many weeks she had spent with Naraku he had tortured her in many ways, but he had never sexually assaulted her. In some way Kagome had felt like Naraku wouldn't do anything like that because for as long as she had been here he had yet to come even close to doing so. She had been trying so hard to act like the living dead, hoping that Naraku would become bored with his games and finally kill her or get one with whatever his plans were with her, and it had gotten so easy to mind from her body whenever he had begun to torture her. She often find herself in the arms of Inuyasha, hoping for comfort, but even in her own daydreams he couldn't offer her what she needed. He wasn't looking for her, he didn't care about her anymore at all, and neither did her friends.

While she had tried to ignore all the things Naraku had said about her former traveling companions, she couldn't help but hear truth in his words. He told her every time Kagura saw Inuyasha with Kikyou, and of their whereabouts. Of their passionate kisses in the forest, of their laughs and smiles as they held each other, talking about how foolish Kagome was to believe any of them actually cared about her. After that it had gotten easier to act like she was dead, because a part of her did feel dead. She had loved Inuyasha with every piece of her heart and while she knew he didn't love her, she had hoped he cared about her at least a little bit, and knowing that he was spending his time with Kikyou instead of trying to find her left her feeling truly broken.

She shivered involuntarily as she started to picture Inuyasha with Kikyou, and tried to shove the memories from her mind. Looking around the room she saw a new kimono lying across a chair across the room and carefully stood, and put it on. It was an itchy fabric, but Kagome didn't care. Once the obi was secured in place, she went and lay across the bed again and let her mind drift in and out, leaving her body to just rest from its torturous ordeal it had experienced the night before.

It wasn't long before she felt someone enter the room, and Kagome stilled as she felt hands on her body. She was turned over quickly and she was surprised to be looking into the eyes of Kagura and not Naraku. Her eyes were blank as she looked over Kagome, and her touch turned gentler. Picking the girl up she carried her back down to the dungeon, and she was once again chained to the wall. Kagome stared impassively at the woman in front of her, taking in her battered appearance. Wondering to herself what had happened to her, she was careful to keep her expression blank. She couldn't help but feel Sesshoumaru would be proud that she was able to control her emotions so well, and she figuratively shook her head and dismissed the thought as soon as it popped into her head. Once she was alone again Kagome shut her eyes and drifted off to sleep.


	9. Missing You

**Authors note**: I love that you all seem to like it! I've been pretty sick lately and have been in and out of the hospital so sorry it took so long to finally post this chapter. I appreciate all the reviews, but at the risk of sounding whiny and demanding, if you could please be more elaborate in your reviews! I love that you all love it but I would really like to know what it is you like about it, and even what you don't like about it! I can't grow as a writer if I don't know what I'm lacking! Again thank you all so much and I hope you enjoy this next chapter.

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_**Chapter 9:**_

_**Missing You**_

Naraku paced the floor in the great hall, waiting for the return of one of his minions. He was growing more and more irritated with every passing minute. Finally, the sound of the huge door opening caught his attention and he immediately straightened up and looked down his nose at the boy coming through the door. He looked as if he had been through hell and back, his body badly damaged from battle, but as their eyes met Naraku was pleased to see his eyes seemed just as blank and impassive as they were when he left. The boy bowed to him and he growled, "Out with it boy I've been waiting long enough!"

The boy slowly closed the distance between them and held out his hand, and Naraku could barely contain the smile that broke across his face as he now held 6 more jewel shards.

"It seems Inuyasha and his friends have stopped looking for jewel shards in hope of finding the girl. She seems to have been missing for some time before she came to be with you."

Naraku nodded, and dismissed the boy with his hand. He would interrogate him further later but for now his mind was spinning. If the girl had already been missing from the filthy mutt then who had she been traveling with. He had smelled dog on her scent when he snatched her, but it was faint and he had assumed it to just be the scent of her normal traveling companions. Finally he called for Kanna and Kagura to join him in his study, and quickly started to determine the best way to get it out of the girl who she had been traveling with before she was attacked. She obviously had been well taken care of, and it had only been a coincidence that Naraku had even been close enough to her to sense her. He usually never got so close to the Lord of the West's home, especially after their last altercation when he had kidnapped his ward.

His eyes growing wide, he turned to see Kagura and Kanna standing just a few paces away from him, and slowly he smiled.

"It seems our little miko has not been traveling with the half demon for some time. Not only that, but it seems she has made the acquaintance of a certain demon lord. Perhaps we should pay him a visit?"

He didn't wait to see the look of surprise on their faces as he turned, trying to formulate a better plan to draw the demon lord out of his fortress.

xXxXx

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Inuyasha rubbed his shoulders as he watched Kikyou's soul searchers gathering in a nearby clearing. He knew she was trying to get his attention so they could speak, but he just didn't have it in him. Kagome had been gone for nearly 6 months, and they had no better idea of where she was then the day she had disappeared. They hadn't even found any jewel shards since then, and while Sango and Miroku were content with the simple search for Kagome, they too were getting restless not searching for the shards. Sighing, he finally gave in and slowly he stood and started to walk towards the clearing he knew he would find Kikyou. When he finally broke through the clearing all he could see was her back as she absorbed the last few souls her servants had brought for her. Inuyasha couldn't help but feel a tiny pang of guilt as he watched her, knowing that if he hadn't let his selfish desires make it so easy for Naraku to corrupt him they both would have been happy and alive. He was snapped out of his bitter thoughts when he realized he was now staring straight into her dark eyes.

"Inuyasha, you have finally come. I have missed you." He could see she was nervous, and quickly he closed the distance between them and quickly grabbed her to his chest in a tight embrace.

"I missed you too. Where have you been all this time?" He pulled away just enough to look her in the eye. They hadn't seen each other since they had realized Kagome was missing, and he felt guilty that he hadn't even truly realized he missed her till now, staring at her.

"So you still have not found Kagome I see?" Kikyou said quietly, trying to keep her tone even while on the inside she was feeling a little bit jealous.

Inuyasha simply hung his head. He had let Kagome down, and because of that he was now letting Kikyou down. He felt like such a failure and while he had tried to act strong for those around him, he was breaking down slowly with every passing day that went by without Kagome by his side. He felt Kikyou touch his face, and he let himself relish in her touch for a moment, before pulling away and turning away from her.

"Inuyasha, I came to find you because I feel we are all in grave danger. Naraku has made several appearances lately and he's been busy collecting jewel shards."

With that Inuyasha snapped his head to look back at Kikyou. "Not possible! I would have felt him if he returned!"

"It is so Inuyasha, just open your eyes and look around!" Kikyou couldn't help but feel angry. To think that they all had tricked themselves into thinking Naraku was gone for good was laughable, especially since the monk still carried his curse. Inuyasha finally responded quietly, "We haven't heard anything, and we've been so preoccupied with Kagome…"

He suddenly looked so lost Kikyou began to feel her anger dissipating. Wrapping her arms around him she said, "Inuyasha, I know finding Kagome is important to all of you, but maybe we should start searching for the shards once again as well. If Naraku has a chance to complete the jewel we are all done for, please consider it."

"We haven't been able to find any jewel shards since Kagome went missing. We can't find them on our own very well." He looked down at Kikyou, and for a moment he thought he could see Kagome's smile breaking through Kikyou's cold exterior. "Maybe if you come with us we could find them together…"

He let his sentence drift off, and he tried not to make eye contact with her feeling foolish. He knew what the others would say if he decided to bring Kikyou along, but he couldn't help but feel she had a point, and maybe with Kikyou's ability to see the shards they would have a better chance of also tracking down Kagome where ever she was. He slowly let his mind drift over the options, and ways of asking the demon slayer and monk to allow her to come along. He would have to explain a thousand times that he didn't want to replace Kagome, but at this time it was becoming almost painfully obvious that they needed her. If Naraku was back to hunting down jewel shards they needed their own advantage in the game.

"If you are asking me what I think you are Inuyasha, you know how I feel about it. I wouldn't feel right till we found Kagome. They will think you are replacing her." Kikyou suddenly felt extremely torn, joining Inuyasha was something she had always thought about, and when it had come so close to coming true those many months ago and then fallen through, she had lost hope it would ever happen. And now, with her reincarnation missing, she didn't want to turn her friends against them when they would need them the most.

"Kikyou, we can't find the jewel shards without you. You couldn't replace Kagome if you tried, even with all your similarities you are two distinctly different people. Please, we need you." Slowly, Inuyasha let her forehead fall against hers, and looking into her eyes he knew she was fighting quite passionately with herself about the decision to stay or go. "Please…" He whispered again, slowly lowering his head, and pressing his lips gently against hers.

Kikyou sighed softly, and pressed her lips more firmly against his, knowing in her heart she couldn't say no to him. Slowly she wrapped her arms around his neck and she felt one of his hands twist in her hair and suddenly she could feel his tongue on hers. They kissed passionately for a long moment, before Kikyou slowly pulled away, her lips still almost touching Inuyasha's, and she quietly said, "I'll come with you."

With those words she felt his mouth on hers again, and slowly they lost themselves in each other, forgetting for just a few hours the world around them.

xXxXxXx

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Sesshoumaru was sitting in the garden, watching Rin pick various flowers and bunch them together and hand them to the servants walking by on their way to their different tasks. They all graciously accepted the gift from the small girl, and it always made her face brighten when she had gifted another person with her precious flowers.

"Lord Sesshoumaru Rin has picked some flowers for you!" She called eagerly from a few feet away, holding up a new bunch of white flowers that looked more like weeds to him. He nodded, acknowledging her and earning him one of her carefree smiles. She hadn't mentioned the priestess all day, and he was glad for the break from her constant badgering about the subject. His scouts had yet to return with any news and he was beginning to finally give up hope the girl would ever be found. Deciding he should get back to the pile of paperwork still awaiting him at his desk Sesshoumaru stood and began walking towards the house. He had barely made it to the front door when he suddenly heard the voice of one of his scouts shouting out to him. Turing slowly he watched as both scouts came running up to him, looking as if they hadn't stopped at all in the 5 days they had been gone.

"Lord Sesshoumaru…Naraku…we found him." One panted as he finally leaned over to rest his hands on his knees to catch his breath.

Nodding, he asked, "Where?"

"Just off the northern border of your lands my lord. They are starting construction on a small fortress there and his scent is everywhere."

Sesshoumaru dismissed them to go get some much needed rest, and turned to look back at the wall behind him. What should he do now? Surely if the girl was still with Naraku he wouldn't move her at least till they had finished building the new fortress and setting up protections. Heading to his study Sesshoumaru started bouncing ideas in his head of how to approach the situation unfolding in front of him. It was Naraku he was dealing with after all, and suddenly Sesshoumaru got the feeling that this must be a trap of some sort. The last time Naraku had tried to set up any source of his power near Sesshoumaru's lands he had been dealt with quickly and rather painful for the hanyou who had been weak from recent battles with his own half-brother. He must be trying to draw him out, Sesshoumaru mused to himself. The question was why, and no matter the different scenarios that ran through his head none made sense to him. If he didn't feel entirely honor bound to at least try to save that woman from the evil hanyou, he wouldn't even be in the situation to begin with, and he would have simply marched up to the new fortress and slaughtered all till finally they retreated. It was the only way to deal with such insolence, especially when it came to the nasty half breed. But the girl had indeed proved her worth and had not only saved Rin's life, but had brought back the arm he was sure he would never regain. He let out an irritated growl deep in his throat, he was growing soft to these human females that was certain, and he didn't like it one bit.

Thoughts of how the west had almost fallen apart when his father had died protecting his human mate suddenly came to mind, and even years later they still made his blood boil. He had never had the chance to grieve over his father's death before he had been thrown to the wolves to fight for the lands that were rightfully his. The battles had ensued nonstop for years before finally the other three clans had decided that Sesshoumaru had finally proved himself an adequate ruler, and with his own self proclamation of hatred for humans he had won himself many followers in the demon community. His standing in court was no longer questioned, and whenever problems occurred in other lands, he was the first one to be asked to join the fight to protect his ally's lands. Yet, in the past few months he had almost entirely shoved his responsibilities aside in order to find a mere human girl, a miko no less. He wondered to himself if he was slowly losing his mind or if the trait that seemed to draw the men of his bloodline to human mates was genetic and was just finally surfacing in himself.

Sighing, he pushed open the door to his study and slowly sat himself down at the desk. He forced himself to read through everything on his desk, signing when necessary, or jotting down notes to send a messenger out the next day denying a claim. Finally the stack disappeared and he turned to look out the window at the dark sky, and realized just how much time had passed since he forced himself to finish his work. He had managed to miss dinner, which made no difference to him, but the disappointed look he could imagine on Rin's face made him feel a little guilty. Facing the window he watched as the moon glowed over the garden below, and for a moment he was certain he could see the woman's figure floating through the garden, but with a quick shake of his head he realized it was not the girl standing in his gardens but someone else entirely. His eyes began to glow red when the form fully appeared before him, and quickly the scent of blood made its way to his nose.

'_How could I have been so unobservant_?' he chastised himself, tearing himself away from the window and rushing down to the grounds.

As he turned the corner the scent of blood and death was overwhelming. Enraged he ran faster, turning into the garden and coming face to face with the devilish woman standing in his gardens, covered in his men's blood. He grabbed her quickly by the neck and squeezed as he lifted her into the air.

"You will tell this Sesshoumaru what you are doing here now, or I will kill you on the spot."

The woman only responded by laughing, a stifled, choked sound as the hand around her throat squeezed tighter.

"I will tell you what you want to know, the mighty Lord Sesshoumaru," The woman finally croaked, "But you have to release my throat to allow me to breathe first." The woman coughed and then tried to laugh again. He felt his inner beast begging to be let out, to avenge the men he had lost, and to tear this woman apart for whatever role she was playing in now.

Kagura smirked as the demon lord before her finally dropped her unceremoniously to the floor. She could already tell this was going to be interesting.

xXxXxXxX

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**Authors Note**: So I know this is a little shorter than normal, or maybe it just feels shorter? Either way I am starting the next chapter this evening and we will be getting more into the suspense and the mystery of the plot, and hell maybe a little romance in the next few chapters. I don't want to rush anything! Please review and let me know what you think!


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